100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

Healthful 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread, that is actually 100% whole wheat. This bread is a bit denser than other recipes because it is all whole wheat with far less oil than usually used. But this bread is TASTY, so satisfying, and makes the outstanding toast and paninis, and fantastic sandwiches for my kids.

And here it is. Homemade, delicious, whole wheat sandwich bread. Oh my gosh I have made this a dozen times to get it right. Making 100% whole wheat bread is very tricky, and if you find a recipe that produces fluffy, store-bought-like bread, please let me know. I haven’t been able to get any to work. Most home recipes use at least some all-purpose flour and a lot more oil than I want (like 1/3 cup!). Food companies add other awesome ingredients like corn syrup, soybean oil, “dough conditioners”, and the ever-present soy lecithin. No thank you.

So I feed my kids with this very tasty, hearty, wholesome, and delicious bread. I find the key is to leave the dough wetter than I would with all-purpose flour, so the whole wheat grains have more moisture to soak up. Also, a longer rise time is required especially on the second rise. This bread is similar to artisan breads in texture, but a little lighter with a softer crust. I love that. I’m such an artisan bread fanatic, and, with the texture of this bread, I can get my fix with just a slice…or two. My 3 year old son agrees – I know this is so cliche, but he prefers his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches made using this bread. And it makes great panini bread too!

Proofing the yeast.. the yeast is added here with the honey into warm water to give them a chance to get going.

Once the yeast is awake, the remaining ingredients are added…

Mixed and ready to rise …I keep the dough pretty wet at this point so there is plenty of moisture for the whole wheat flour to soak up.

After the first rise and ready to be punched down…

Here’s the dough ready to be divided into 2 loaves. An additional ~1/4 c white whole flour was just kneaded in but not to the point of trying to make a completely smooth dough. I leave it rustic…

Turn the machine off and let the dough rise in a warm location and covered with a damp towel until doubled (~1 to 1-1/2 hours). I blast my oven for 2 minutes, shut it off, then put the dough in there to rise.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface sprinkled with 1/4 c white whole wheat flour (a rubber spatula helps to get it out of the bowl). Sprinkle the dough with another 1/4 c white whole wheat flour. Punch dough down. Knead 3-4 couple times, incorporating in some of the new flour. Split dough into 2 portions and shape into 2 loaves. Place each in a loaf pan sprayed with olive oil. Spray the top of the loaves lightly with olive oil. Let rise again 1 to 1-1/2 hour until loaves are doubled in size.

Heat oven to 350F. Bake breads for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool 20 minutes before removing from the loaf pans. Slice and serve or freeze until later. Yields: 2 loaves.

Erica this is a lovely loaf! It has only been one year ago that I started learning how to make bread and every time I make a loaf, it just makes me so happy and proud of myself! I have not made one with 100% whole wheat but your loaf looks perfect and soft! Great job!

Hi Erica! Thanks so much for sharing this with our Let’s Get Real readers. One of the most common questions I get is what bread I eat. I’m going to share your bread recipe. Store bread is just full of horrible ingredients as you have noted. This loaf really looks delicious. Nothing like whole wheat and honey. Yum!

We use a natural yeast starter. It is really good. The start I have is over 200 years old. It is a relative of the sourdough but is sweet instead of sour. I got mine from Caleb Warnock. He has a really great blog article about why we should be using natural yeast instead of the commercial yeasts. http://calebwarnock.blogspot.com/2012/06/natural-history-of-yeast-and-why-it.html One of the biggest factors in making 100 % whole wheat bread is the rising time. Letting the dough slow rise in the fridge overnight is really super helpful. The longer it rises and the fluffier and lighter it gets. I… Read more »

What gorgeous bread, Erica! Like you, I’m always on the lookout for a fantastic, low-on-oil and other bad things bread to make at home, and this looks like it’ll fit the bill perfectly for some homemade sandwiches.

Thanks for sharing this during last week’s That’s Fresh Friday link-up! It was one of my favorites, so I’m highlighting it at my blog tonight for this week’s party! Keep up the great work!

welcome

Welcome! I'm Erica ...wife, mother, and scientist, passionate about triathlons and pizza. Join me on my quest to enjoy all things food - both healthy and indulgent. After all, life is about balance right?